Hunting and Wildlife Magazine - Issue 224 - Autumn 2024
Words By: Sophie Austin
I'm a city girl. I like having my nails painted, brunches on Cuba Street, and a full phone signal! Before October, I'd never even slept overnight in a hut, but now I have a freezer full of steaks and mince from my first spiker. How did I get here, and how can you (as a more experienced hunter) help new people like me get into the sport?
I've been buying hunted wild game meat for a while now, and last year, I thought... surely I can cut out the middle-man and go hunting myself? How hard can it be? My first barrier was how to start when I knew nothing about hunting. I don't know anyone who goes hunting. I don't know anything about firearms. I don’t know where I can hunt. I don’t know what I can hunt. I have no gear – no sleeping bag, tent, knife, or backpack - I don't even have a car!
My first step in anything is Google I typed in 'hunting course Wellington', and the NZDA website was the top result. I went to a few club nights and signed up for the HUNTS course. I remember one of the members taking me under her wing for that first club night, and I felt so welcome – maybe I could be a hunter!
The HUNTS course is even more comprehensive than I imagined (shout out to the instructors and volunteers). Not only did I learn everything I needed to know to go from absolute beginner to my first shot, but I also made some great friends who were keen to get out there and fill up our freezers.
One of the other students from the course organised a few of us to head up to a private block in Pātea Hill country with plenty of fallow deer. On the drive up, I was so anxious - the course had given me all the info to get me started, but now I would have to pull the trigger.
Fortunately, we were with a couple of experienced hunters who knew the block well (thanks again, Steve and Mark). Before we'd even got out of the ute, we could see heaps of deer in the hills, so we dumped our stuff at the hut and headed straight out. Within about 30 minutes, one of the group got a doe, and then all eyes were on me - that’s what it felt like anyway.
I was all lined up and watching a small group of fallow deer in a gap in the bush for what felt like a lifetime, wanting to be sure I had a clean shot and that if I got a doe, there wouldn't be an orphaned baby, and, although I won’t admit it if you ever bring it up to my face, I was nervous.
Taking a life is serious – even if it aligns with my values. I needed to bite the bullet (and so did the spiker). His head was behind a vine, but I could see his shoulder clearly, so I pulled the trigger. Down straight away. I'd done it! I wasn't a city girl anymore; I'm a hunter now.
When we got to him, I didn't know what to think… Of course, there was adrenaline and excitement for my first spiker but also a bit of sadness. He was so pretty and soft. Okay, maybe I am still a city girl.
The next day, the weather was amazing, so after the other party returned from a morning hunt, we all decided to go for a dip in the dam. When we got back to Welly, we skinned the deer and gave them to the butcher, who commented, “A bit small. Shoot a bigger one next time.” Nice of him to keep me humble, haha.
The HUNTS course and the willingness of other hunters to share their spots gave us access to their chillers, and help mean that we newbies could go from zero to a freezer full of mince.
If you're a more experienced hunter, I encourage you to talk to new hunters at club nights, volunteer to help on HUNTS courses, take a newbie under your wing, share your top tips and hunting spots with them, guide them through skinning and bush butchery, or donate your old gear to them or your local HUNTS course. If you're a new hunter - sign up for a HUNTS course - you won't regret it.
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